Archaic or dialectal variant of caterpillar, the larval form of butterflies and moths.
From Old French 'chenille' + Middle English interpretations. The word 'enterpillar' shows how 'caterpillar' went through various etymological guesses—early English speakers thought it might start with 'inter-' or 'enter-,' before the French origin was recognized.
The word 'caterpillar' itself has a disputed origin—it might come from Old French 'chate pelue' (hairy cat), showing how medieval people imaginatively named creatures and how these names stuck despite competing variants like 'enterpillar.'
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